Rite of Passage
by HonestlyCynical
Summary: After the sinking of Jacinto, Delta squad finds themselves with a new rookie. Will he be able to put up with the infamous Delta, as well as put up with the smart ass of the COG? Or will he end up a victim of an untimely death?
1. Prologue

****"Rite of Passage"****

by _HonestlyCynical_

Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.

Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N: DO NOT READ IF YOU DISLIKE MALEXMALE SEX/RELATIONSHIPS! Seriously, people. You have been warned.**_

_**I've noticed that there's barely any Gears of War yaoi/slash. I've decided to try my hand at it. This story will be a few chapters long, depending on the reviews. Please bear with me.**_  
><em><strong>I have played all three Gears of War games more than once, so I'm aware of the story and how the characters act. I will try my best to portray them as close to how they actually are. The only problem with GOW is that in the game, while the story and dialogue is interesting, it is also vague. So I'm pretty much going to have to make up a lot of stuff to fill in the blanks.<strong>_

_Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental._

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><p><em>Prologue<em>

It all started on E-day. The day my life went to shit. Yeah, I know, _how insensitive to the others that have had to deal with the same shit as I_. Well fuck it. All I wanted was a normal life, you know? Family, a house, couple kids... But no. Goddamn Myrrah and her fucking grubs ruined everything. Who am I, you ask? My name is Rexxar Musica.

I never wanted to be a soldier. I just wanted to be an engineer. Sure, I'm not as built as the other guys, but I do a terrific job. I guess my work is what got me drafted. Either way I was bummed about everything at first. I even asked myself "why me?" Hell, I asked everyone else and never got a straight answer. I knew it was only a matter of time before I was drafted... Gotta love the Pendulum Wars.

I had a decent childhood. Loving parents, a sister. The works. I always loved to help my father work on the cars. I guess it was something I got from him. We would always spend the better part of our day in the garage. Hell, the old man insisted I helped him. Something to do with the fact everything came natural to me. I should mention that my entire father's side has experience with mechanics. God, how I looked up to my grandfather and father. They were everything I aspired to be. Anyway, enough about me. I doubt you want to be bored by my ramblings, anyway.

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><p>Loud noises. That's what I had to wake up to. Someone walked down the hall rambling on about how someone pissed him off. Another was trying to comfort him. That, or trying to make him shut his damn trap. I hate waking up to this.<p>

A sudden knock on my door. "Rexxar Musica, wake the fuck up!" came a low, coarse voice. Good god almighty, that scared me. Rexxar got up and stifled a yawn. It seemed his roommates had already left. The doorknob turned and in walked a familiar looking Gear. He had a scar on the right side of his face, and his eyes glared daggers at the kid. He wore a bandanna, and a scowl etched on his mouth._ Holy shit. If his voice didn't scare the living hell out of me, his appearance would do the trick._ The barely awakened Rex thought.

Noticing he was only in his boxers, Rex moved about, scrambling to put on his fatigues. "Goddammit, Rexxar. You're not even fucking dressed. How do you expect to call yourself a fucking Gear when you can't wake up on time?" the older man scolded him. He walked in and from behind him came what appeared to be the older man's friend.

"Yo, Marcus. We gotta move soon. Get the kid ready. I'll get Baird and Cole." said the other man. He had brown eyes, and a pistol strapped to his chest. He was as big as the man in front of him, although his armor was slimmer. Almost instantly, the one called Marcus turned to his friend. "Forget about it, Dom. We still gotta train the rook. As you can see, he's not even fucking dressed." Marcus replied.

The man pointed his large finger at Rex, who was putting on his armor. Rex was adjusting his chest plate when the man called Dom walked over and adjusted it for him. "Kid, you got a lot to learn." he said to the kid who was trying hard not to look awkward. Hell, another man was helping him put his armor on. Way to make a first impression.

When Dom made sure the armor was just right, he pulled away. "There you go. All better." he replied, a smile on his face. Rex nodded in response. Even though Dom seemed friendly enough, he didn't want to get Marcus pissed off at all. Rex was the kind of guy that preferred to be on his own. However, that wasn't in compliance with his orders to accompany one of the best teams in the COG. Rex ran his hand through his golden hair. A lone curl stuck right up, while one of his eyes was covered by a rather large portion of his hair. He looked at the two soldiers through his gleaming crimson eyes.

Dom looked into the kid's visible eye. His hair was definitely a violation of the rules, but he got away with it. Maybe because he had seen other Gears with a similar hairstyle. Well, not a lot, but a couple. Either way, the kid didn't look half bad. _He has potential, I can see that. hell, maybe _he_ would even take a liking to this kid._ the Gear thought to himself.

Marcus coughed before moving about. "Get your shit and let's go. We're going for your training, and depending on how you score, we'll see what happens next." Marcus said, moving out to the hallway. Rex sighed when Marcus left. He could tell the Gear thought little of him. He didn't blame him either. He was already late waking up.

At that moment, an arm found its way around his shoulder. Rex turned his head to see Dom. "Hey, don't let him get to you. Marcus is just like that with everyone. It's not that he doesn't like you, he's just..._ rough_ around the edges." the man said, laughing as he brought his arm away from Rex. Dom moved out of the room next.

Rex sighed once again, shaking his head as he did so. Grabbing his stuff, the golden haired Gear followed after the two men.

Fuck... It's gonna be a long day...

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><p><em><strong>AN: Well. That was eventful, wasn't it? Please feel free to leave feedback. Any criticism is appreciated, as I am aspiring to become a writer. Please let me know how I did so far with Marcus and Dom, and if anything needs to be changed, I'd love to hear about it.**_


	2. Ch 1: Just the tip of the problems

****"Rite of Passage"****

****by _HonestlyCynical_

Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.

Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.****

**_A/N: Well, I'm still taking in critique, so I'm sorry if this is late or anything._**

****_Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental._

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><p><em>Chapter 1: Just the tip of the problems.<em>

****Rex followed Marcus and Dom out of the compound. It was oddly quiet, save for the occasional chatter of Dom telling Marcus something. He had no idea what the two were talking about. He didn't pay it any mind, either. There was a breeze that day. The blonde's hair flowed gently with the breeze. Some of the guys from the compound were gazing at him. Most likely at his eyes. They always did.

He was born with crimson colored eyes, which seemed to gleam with life. Funny, for how dead he felt besides the two larger Gears. Occasionally, Dom would glance back and check if the rookie was still following them._ 'It's not like I'm gonna run away Dom, don't worry.'_the kid thought.

Hell, he was sure one of them would catch him anyway. What chance did he have if he had to fight those beasts. Now, he's not just skin and bones, he worked out as best as he could. But he could never become one of those guys. Everything about them seemed unreal.

They were built like tanks. Not to mention that they've been fighting the grubs a lot longer than the kid had. Hell, he was going to be trained by them. Rex knew it was strictly business, but something in the back of his head seemed to argue with him. '_What if their training wasn't just simply target practice, followed by active reload training, along with grenade evasion. Hell it could be much worse than that._' Rex thought.

He shuddered at the thought, which the older Gears must have heard, because they turned around at once. Marcus glared at him, his icy blue eyes glaring into his. "What, you're getting scared now? Shit, you wouldn't last against the grubs, kid." the man grunted.

Dom laughed wholeheartedly. He turned to Marcus as they continued to walk. "Stop busting the kid's balls, Marcus. He's still inexperienced." the tan Gear replied. Something about the way he said that got to Rex. "So... What's the training gonna be like?" Rex asked. He almost wished he hadn't asked.

Marcus didn't turn around to acknowledge him. It was as though he was trying to answer an idiot's question. The large Gear spit before speaking. "Basically,_ kid_you're gonna shoot a gun. Not only that, you're gonna show us how skilled you are with the Longshot. Don't worry though, we won't put you through Lancer Duels... yet." Marcus replied. Rex gulped at his tone.

If Rex hadn't wanted to run away before, he certainly did now. 'Shit, he's got something against me. I don't know why though, I barely know the guy.' he thought. When a voice called his name, he snapped to attention. "Yo, Rexxar, you okay man? You seem all spacey. We can't have that during the current situation." Dom said, his tone had a hint a worry.

Rex didn't understand these Gears. One of them practically hated his guts, and the other was worrying about him. Rex spoke out when he felt Dom watching him. "Dom, is it? Call me Rex, please? I always feel like I'm in trouble when you guys say my name like that." the gold headed kid replied.

Dom laughed at Rex's expense. "Sure, whatever you say, Rex." the Gear replied. In front of them, Fenix let out a grin. Once he realized it, it faded back into a scowl. As the trio moved into the shooting range, Rex saw a familiar person.

She had pitch black hair that was damp with sweat. She wore a scarf, that protected her face from the cold. Her eyes were sea foam green, and her lips were pink. Just her facial features alone, sent chills down Rex's spine. It wasn't that he was scared of her, no... He liked her. She was Madeline Rivera. She had been his childhood crush, and now his roommate.

Dom noticed the look in Rex's exposed eye. He nudged his best friend, and whispered. "Look, the kid's in love. I remember those days." Dom had a sad look in his eyes. Marcus put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Yeah, we all can. We'll let the rook have his little fun here, besides, he's gonna need to shoot something soon." the sergeant mumbled.

Rex walked to Madeline cautiously. He knew better than to startle her with a weapon in her hand. The last time he did that, the medic had to remove a Boltok round from his ass. Damn did it hurt. Just remembering it, made the pain come back a little. The sad part was, that it was a month ago that it happened.

Madeline seemed to sense his presence because she turned around. "Oh, hello Rex!" she said in her accented voice. God did he crush on her. He couldn't say he loved her because he wasn't sure if she liked him like that. He didn't need to get depressed because she never liked him more than a friend.

Her voice brought back the kid's attention. "Rex, are you okay? You are spacing out!" she said, obviously worried. Rex shook his head. "Yeah, just fine. I was just thinking about things. Nothing big." he replied.

Madeline let out a laugh. "Well, I better go back to the compound Rex, Good seeing you!" she said, waving to him as she went away. Rex sighed at himself. He was such an idiot. 'One chance, and I turned into a fucking girl. Great. This is why all this shit is difficult.' Rex thought to himself.

Dom took the chance to get behind Rex. "Come on, Rex. Time for training. You can crush on that girl later." the Gear said, as if he knew what Rex was thinking. Rex and Dom began to walk after Marcus, who was holding a Longshot. "Uh... He's not going to shoot me, is he?" Rex asked curiously. Dom laughed at how Rex sounded. "Relax Rex, Marcus is many things, but he never gets trigger happy on humans." the older man said, patting the kid's shoulder lightly.

Rex and Dom reached Marcus, who merely handed the Longshot to the blond. "Here kid, we're going to see how well you can aim. Stand here." The gear said, his voice still low. Rex did as he said, and stood still. His hair was being blown by the wind that hat picked up. Marcus set up a couple of bottles for Rex. "You're going to shoot them, kid. Simple as that." the man yelled to Rex. Dom grinned at how Marcus was acting.

He was always like that with the new guys. "Hey, Rex. Good luck." he said, giving an innocent smile. Rex nodded and held the scope to his eye. He aimed the cross-hairs in the middle of one bottle and shot it. The glass shattered almost immediately. Marcus nodded and motioned for Rex to move back. "Go back a little more. We'll need longer distances." the man yelled.

Rex moved back, and his hair had blown into his eyes. After pushing his hair out of his way, and reloaded the Longshot. Dom watched intently at the rookie. For a rookie, he was doing great, so far. Dom noticed Rex was aiming at another bottle. He then started to make distractions for Rex. "You're going to have to concentrate Rex. Therefore, I will distract you. It's a sniper's job to ignore distractions." he said.

Rex nodded while Dom made noises, and threw stuff at him. After about two hours of shooting the Longshot, Rex seemed to get the hang of it. Rex was getting annoyed because his hair refused to stay out of his eyes. So, following Dom's advice, the blond decided to roll with the flow. Rex let his hair fall into his eyes. Dom was going to yell at him to move his hair, but the blond took the shot. SMASH!

The sound of glass breaking filled the air. Dom looked at the targets, to see that Rex had indeed hit another bottle. Marcus crossed his arms, examining the kid. 'He's a good shot. I have to admit, he makes our best Snipers look bad. Though... He will need to be trained in other aspects.' the sergeant thought.

"Dom, Rook, come on. We established he's a good with a Longshot. Time to move on!" he shouted. Marcus lead the group to the obstacle course. Dom smirked when he saw where they were. Rex looked around cautiously. "So.. The obstacle course?" he asked.

Dom and Marcus nodded. "Yeah Rex, you're gonna show us how fast you are with all that armor on." the blue eyed man said. Rex groaned before nodding. Now was the time he chose to stay shut. Marcus pulled out a whistle from his bag. "GO, GO, GO!" The sergeant shouted. Rex zigzagged into the obstacle course, moving as fast as his legs could take him. Marcus laughed when he watched the kid. The armor made him look weak, as though he didn't have any muscle in his body.

Rex dropped himself on the ground. He crawled under the barbed wire, using his elbows to move. It was as though he were in a boot camp all over again. Rex wiggled around, looking absolutely ridiculous. 'Dammit, why do I need to torture myself so?' the male thought to himself. Dom and Marcus laughed at Rex. The was he was wriggling around reminded them of a child. Marcus made him redo the area for over two hours.

"Hurry up, child!' Marcus shouted, blowing his whistle again. Rex picked up his pace, trying to keep the mud out of his hair and face. Rex got out of the barbed wire area. He stood up, and Marcus made him run. "Come on, the grubs are chasing you, Rex. Get to cover now! Go, go, go!" the man shouted. Rex ran as fast as he could to the chest high walls placed around. He took out his Lancer and began to aim at a dummy in the distance. It was dressed as a Locust Drone, so it made it easier for the rookie to focus.

Littering the ground with empty shells, Rex got up from cover. Dom laughed and pat his back. "I think you killed it, Rex. God kid, you need to save your bullets. Especially in this time of the war. We can't waste ammo all the time." he said. Dome let an innocent smile show before Marcus came. "Come on, time to run. We're going to run for three hours. It took you two hours to finish that, Rex. Now for your punishment." the man said seriously.

Rex didn't like the sound of running for three straight hours. It was bad enough his body hurt due to the two hours of obstacle course run-throughs. 'My god, this guy is aiming to kill me with all this running.' the male thought. His hair sticking to his face from sweat. Even though it was the middle of Frost, all the training was keeping him warm. With that said, it is also made him tired. Gasping for breath, the rookie decided to jog.

Marcus looked at Rex stopping for breath. He walked towards the unsuspecting man. "What the hell are you doing? Did I say you can stop for air? Get a move on!" the man barked. Rex cursed under his breath and began to run again. Dom went over to Marcus slowly. "Marcus, aren't you being a little too tough on the kid? He can't keep going like this, man." the sensitive Gear said.

Marcus turned his gaze to Dom. "Since when did you care about this kid?" he asked his friend, his voice in its usual low manner. Dom shrugged at the man's words. "I don't know Marcus. But that's besides the point. If he keeps this up, he'll become dehydrated, and then we'd need to rush him to the medical wing." the man replied.

Marcus grunted in response. Dom was right. The kid went four hours so far without drinking water. He reached inside his bag and got a water bottle. "Hey Rex, get your ass over here and take this water." the Gear yelled. Rex stopped running and gasped for air. He went to the larger man and took the bottle. Quickly, the kid drank from the bottle.

Rex drank the water as if his life depended on it. To him, at that moment, the water was the best thing he'd ever had in his life. Rex let out a loud sigh when he finished gulping down the water. He pushed his hair from his eyes and looked up at the sergeant.

Marcus was glaring at the private. He scowled, as if to say 'Get your ass in gear and run.' Rex looked at him, and seemed to understand the scowl. "Yes sir." the boy said, continuing to run. Dom looked at the guys with a smirk. 'This was going to be a long day.' he thought to himself.

Rex continued to run, he was determined to finish his training for the day. The soldier could feel himself getting hungry. He was more focused on his running rather than actually stopping and asking his commanding officer to eat.

Dom seemed to read the kid's mind because he walked over with some food that Marcus had taken. If Marcus was going to act like he didn't care, Dom would care for him. "Eat up. You haven't even had breakfast yet, so I imagine you must be starving." the Gear said, answering the confused look on the blonde's face.

Rex pulled off his muddy gloves, revealing his white hands, that were quickly turning red from the cold air. "Ah shit!" the blond swore. "It's too damn cold out." Dom laughed at the blonde's expense. "Well it tends to happen because of Frost." the gear said smugly.

Rex ate the bread that Dom put in his hands. He took a bite out of an apple, savoring the juice. "Damn, that's good." the boy said, stuffing his face again. Dom stared at the soldier, and something seemed to spark in his head. 'This kid... He's really something.' the Gear thought.

Rex finished his little meal before stretching his arms and legs. He heard his bones crack under the sudden stress. He went on to run again, putting the Longshot and Lancer on his back. Dom moved back to Marcus as soon as the blond had took off running. "So Marcus, what do you think of him?" he asked his best friend. Marcus looked at Rex before answering. "He has promise, no doubt about that. However, He's still rather childish. He also seems to be shy. I've only seen him talk to one person on his free time. Unless he's spoken to, he never even gives people the time of day." the man replied, his voice low and weary.

Dom looked at his best friend with a smirk. "He's only nineteen, Marcus. He can afford to act childish, after all he never had kids or a wife. He's still young, so being shy is justified for him. I just don't want this war to make him grow up too fast. God knows we had to. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, Marcus." he replied.

Dom's tone became sad when he spoke about the wife and kids. He had lost both of his kids on E-Day, and he had to euthanize his own wife. Dom had been through so much, and he had all the right to act like an asshole, but instead he cared even more. Marcus eyed his friend quickly, and put an arm on his shoulder. "Dom..." Marcus began.

Dom gently took his friend's hand off of his shoulder. "Marcus... Just go easy on him, okay? He's still a kid. Do it for me, if not anything else, please?" the male replied, keeping his gaze at the ground.

Marcus grunted in response. He was too sensitive for his own good. But that was just how Dominic Santiago was. A sensitive man.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Well, originally this chapter was going to be short, but I decided to put the rookie's training into the chapter. Ah, how fun~ Please feel free to review the chapter, and leave feedback on how I portrayed Dom and Marcus in this~ Most of all, Thanks for reading! ;D**_


	3. Ch 2: Flee

****"Rite of Passage"****

by _HonestlyCynical_

Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.

Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N: Hopefully these chapters will get longer. I am still currently in the midst of expanding the story.**_

_Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental._

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><p><em>Chapter 2: Flee<em>

Rex finished the training for the day. According to Dom, it had been exactly 7 hours since they started. _Shit_. the kid thought. It had taken his toll on him, and his body was proof of that. He remained as silent as he could, while he took in deep breaths. His hair had become damp with sweat, and clung to his face.

Dom turned his head to see the rookie they were training. '_Damn. This kid has incredible aim with the Longshot. Even our best shots look like chumps compared to him. He did it all while his hair obscured his vision. We'll need his sniping skills._' The Gear thought to himself. **THWACK!** A loud clang rang in Dom's ear. Marcus somehow managed to sneak behind Rex, and smacked the rookie on the back of his armor.

"Son of a _bitch_!" Rex cried out in pain. He could feel his back stinging from the impact, despite the armor being the one that was smacked. "Shit! Can't you control your damn strength?" he yelled at Marcus, his crimson eyes meeting the glare the Sergeant gave him.

Marcus scowled when Rex looked at him. "Why don't you shut the fuck up before I _really_ hit you?" he replied. He could see then, how drained the kid was. On that note, Dom had looked a little tired as well. Hell, they've been running non-stop for nearly three hours. Sergeant Fenix noticed an odor in the air. "All right rook. Time to hit the showers. You're stinking up the damn place." he said, wiping the sweat from his face. Rex scowled at the statement by his commanding officer. He already didn't like this guy. Sure, he was scared of him, but he also disliked him.

Reluctantly, Rex followed Marcus and Dom back to the COG base. There, he met his best friend Brandice Bodie. Her hair was covering one of her eyes, similar to Rex's. Her skin was dark brown, and she was wearing her glasses. Ever since they were kids, Brandice would pick on Rex. Not that he minded though, if anything, it was how he knew she was his friend. When they grew older, she wanted to be called Snow. So now, whenever he saw her, he would always make a comment on her. "Why is there so much Snow here?" the blond gear asked. She would gaze at him and pucker her lips. "Oh haha. Very funny, _Señor Little Dick_." she replied sarcastically. Everyone around them roared into laughter. Marcus and Dom both couldn't help but laugh at the kid's expense.

"Yeah, right. You weren't saying that at all the other night, honey." the blond replied. Snow was going to hug Rex, but then she caught his smell. "Holy shit you stink! Go shower, then come talk to me. Where the fuck were you anyway? Swimming through the sewers, I bet." she said frankly. "_Yeah, yeah, yeah_." was all Rex said, brushing her off. "I'll catch you later Snow." he said, moving towards the locker rooms. He had a smile on his face. If anyone could make him feel better, it was Snow.

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><p>At the locker rooms, the Gears stripped down. Rex quietly put a towel over himself. Of course, Marcus and Dom just headed to the showers without putting their towels over their waists. Rex brushed ahead of the two men. Along the way, he saw another one of his friends preparing to enter the showers. "Oi, Harper!" the blond called out. Joseph Harper was another of Rex's childhood friends. He was different from Snow though.<p>

Joseph hated being called Joseph or Joe, so people called him Harper. He had hazel eyes, medium length black hair, and he wasn't too muscular like the other Gears. He was closer to Rex's build. He had muscles, but he wasn't built like a tank like Marcus. Also, he had a clear dislike for mainstream society. There was only a few people that he bothered to like. However, in the love department, he was too shy to even begin to express his feelings. It was just a man thing. Most men hated speaking about feelings. Harper was no different. He, Snow, and Harper were close friends. All three of them were always seen joking around in the Mess Hall.

The lazy man waited for Rex to hurry over before picking his spot. "Hey _Rexxy boy_." Harper replied, once the blond was closer. Harper always called Rex stupid names. It was one of the things that bothered the male. "Will you not call me that, Harper?" the blond asked. Harper gave him a mock salute. "_Sir yes sir_." the male replied sarcastically. The men turned on their respective shower heads and began to scrub themselves with soap. "So, Rexxy boy, where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over for you, and people said you sort of disappeared. I swear, you always loved to tinker with shit. I guess you never changed a bit,_ Mr. Engineer_." he joked. At that time, Marcus and Dom entered the showers. 'What timing...' the blond thought.

Marcus looked towards Harper. "Who the hell is Mr. Engineer." he asked, his voice low. He fixed his icy glare on Harper. Rex scowled at the sight of the man. Harper shifted uncomfortably. He hated being stared at. When Fenix moved closer to him, he gulped. Something about the way Fenix looked at him had made him shudder. "Well?" the man said. He gave Harper a '_tell-me-who-the-fuck-that-is-or-else_' look.

Harper wanted to run away at that point. But what kind of man would he be if he did run? Rex glared daggers at Fenix. He hated it when someone intimidated his friends. Rex's hair fell over his eyes and stuck to his face, making his scowl seem silly. This was all a faςade though. Rex's heart was beating a mile a minute. Harper got his focus back and glared at Marcus. "If you must know, Mr. Engineer is Rexxy boy." the male responded. Marcus raised a brow at Harper. "What the hell do you mean, Rex is an engineer?" he asked. Dom had moved to his own shower head, and was watching the events unfold.

Harper glared the sergeant in the eyes. He knew who he was. That rough demeanor made it clear. "He was - no, he is the best engineer I've seen yet." the male said. Rex looked at his friend and shook his head. '_Dammit Harper, why don't you tell them about my past too..._' the blond thought. Marcus looked at Dom and saw he was thinking the same thing. '_Keep the kid away from Baird_.' It was a well known fact that Baird wanted to be an engineer. In fact, he never stopped bitching about it. So here was some kid, who happened to be what the sarcastic fuck known as Baird all ways wanted to be. Fenix turned to Rex, getting a good look of the kid. The armor had made him seem so skinny, and even frail. However, he was more or less like the other Gears. He had the muscles, but he wasn't as muscled as Dom or himself. He refrained from glancing any lower because the kid was only just a kid, after all. Sure, Rex was practically turning 20 soon, but Marcus would be damned if he was staring at another man in the shower. "Got any more _secrets_ you're hiding from us?" the man asked finally.

Rex looked at Fenix. He could see all of the soldier's scars. There was so much, it was like he _purposely_ injured himself to get more. The more he looked at the Gear's body, the angrier he got until he had it with Fenix. Here he was trying to pry into his life. Well fuck that. He grinned before answering the larger male.

"Well_ sir,_ if you _must_ know, I might be. However, that's kind of personal. Frankly, you don't _need_ to know my life story. All _you_ need to know is that I'm here because Hoffman ordered my ass to stick with your squad. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue to shower in peace!" the blond said, scowling at his commanding officer. Rex felt that he didn't need to have the Sergeant knowing about him anymore than he had to. He had a mission to do, and he would do it as he knew how. Other than that, he had nothing to say to Marcus.

The sergeant was severely pissed at the kid's outburst. A large hand found itself pinning Rex to the wall. The water had begun to run down Marcus' body. He could feel Rex's heartbeat pick up instantly. "Listen_ kid_, don't piss me off. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll be _damned_ if I let you talk to me like that." Fenix yelled.

Rex looked at the hand that was pinning him to the wall. He was pissed off at that point. He opened his mouth to speak, only to see Dom move over to the commotion and put his hand over the blonde's mouth. He positioned himself in front of Marcus and Rex. It was weird, Dom was standing _really_ close to Marcus, his brown eyes staring his friend in the face. "Cool it, both of you." the male said. He turned to Rex. "Rex, you need to chill the fuck out. There's no need to be hostile here." he said, turning back to Marcus. Dom let his eyes wander on Marcus' body. It was quick, probably about a second before he spoke. "Marcus," his voice became soft. "Calm down. The kid doesn't know you like I, and the others, do. Give him time to adjust, man. It's been a long day. Let's just calm our asses down, okay?" the male asked. Rex didn't move. His heart was still beating a mile a minute.

Marcus turned away and walked to his own shower head. He let out a grunt in response to Dom. '_Fucking kid. If it wasn't for Dom..._' the male thought to himself. Dom removed his hand from Rex's mouth. He could tell the kid was scared, because he could feel his heart beating. "Rex. Go finish showering, and get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow." he said, his voice serious. Dom went back to his side of the shower area.

Harper, who had somehow remained silent, spoke to Rex. "Holy shit, Rexxy boy. You just pissed off Marcus Fenix. You've got some balls on you." the male said. Rex grumbled in response. "Whatever Harper. Fuck this shit." was all he said. Rex finished showering and wrapped the towel around his waist. "Goddamn Hoffman for placing me here." he mumbled, walking out of the showers. He went to the lockers and put on clean boxers and his fatigues. Rex pushed his hair to cover one eye like he always did. With that, he left to his quarters.

* * *

><p>Back in his room, Rex listened as Harper and Madeline slept. He couldn't sleep at all. He was having a nightmare. It went like it always did. Rex would wake up in his bed, and see something moving around outside. Followed by a loud scream. The house would shake, and a hole would open up outside. <strong>"RIIIIISE!<strong>" a voice would boom into the night. Rex would always wake up in a cold sweat at that part. He remembered what happened with Fenix, and cursed. He had heard that Fenix would always get payback on those that pissed him off. Rex got up silently and sneaked out of his door. He closed it gently behind him before sneaking off to the locker rooms.

He reached the lockers quickly and found his. Reaching inside, the soldier took his chest plate and put it on. He adjusted it so that it wouldn't make any noise when he moved. The blond walked out of the locker rooms, and looked back. Something told him he'd be in deep shit for what he was doing, but he didn't care. His past was starting to catch up with him, and he needed to get away.

* * *

><p>The next morning, at 0800 hours, Dom awoke to a commotion. He walked into the hallway in his fatigues. "What's going on?" the Gear asked a passerby. The other gear looked at him and sighed. "It appears someone has gone missing." she replied. Dom had a sinking feeling in his gut.<p>

Quickly, and barefoot, Dom ran to Rex's room to make sure he was there. He knocked on the door, only for Harper to open up. "Where is Rex?" Dom asked in a worried tone, catching his breath. Harper shrugged and looked into Dom's eyes. "I thought he was with you. After all, you did stop Fenix from attacking him." the male answered.

Around the corner, Snow could be heard. "Get the _fuck_ out of my way!" she screamed, knocking people aside. When she saw Harper, she gasped for air. "Joseph, tell me where the fuck Rex is right now!" she said, her eyes deadly serious.

Dom raced back to his and Marcus' room. "Marcus, get up! Rex is missing!" he shouted. Marcus awoke right then. "Come again?" he said, growling at his friend. Dom sat on the edge of his bed, slipping on socks and his boots. "I said Rex is gone, Marcus. We need to find him. After all, he is part of Delta."

Marcus swore under his breath. Dom was right, whether he liked it or not, the rookie was part of his squad. If there was one thing the legendary Marcus Fenix didn't do, that was never leave a member of his squad behind, or missing. "If only Baird and Cole were back. Son of a_ bitch_!" he yelled.

Marcus put on his fatigues, socks and boots. He put on his undershirt and stood in front of Dom. "Let's go, Dom. We need to find him."

Great..._ Just fucking great._

* * *

><p>TBC...?<p>

_**A/N: This chapter was actually pretty fun to write. I feel as though Rex is having an effect on both Fenix and Santiago. Although Fenix deals with it the way he knows how. Contain and attack, so to speak. As always, leave feedback for me? I'll love you forever~**_


	4. Ch 3: Unwanted Sympathy

****"Rite of Passage"****

by _HonestlyCynical_

Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.

Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3

Warning(s): Nudity, M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N: Well, this story seems to be doing good so far.**_

_Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 3: Unwanted Sympathy<em>

Marcus stomped out of his room, followed by Dom. The two Gears were suited up in their armor. Marcus had his Lancer strapped on his back, and had two Frags, his Snub Pistol, and a Longshot. Dom had his Snub Pistol strapped to his chest, like always. He carried two Frags, and of course, his Lancer on his back, along with a Gnasher Shotgun. The two Gears exited the COG base quietly, both of them sporting a scowl.

Even though Dom took a liking to Rex, the male was going to yell at him until he got a sore throat. That was how pissed he was. Marcus and Dom headed for the garage, where all the COG vehicles were located. Marcus burst through the doors, and walked up to the gear stationed there. "What's going on?" the gear asked. He was looking at the scowls on both of the bigger men's faces.

Marcus looked at the helmeted man. "The soldier I've been looking after went missing. Most likely ran away. Give me the keys to a Centaur." the war-hardened soldier grunted. The helmeted male nodded quickly. He scrambled out of his seat, and to the key rack. He gripped the keys to the Centaur and tossed them to Fenix. "Here. Go find the man." the soldier said nervously. "I plan to." Marcus replied, turning his back to the man.

Dom nodded in response and went to the yard. Marcus found a Centaur that was closest to the exit point of the base. Getting inside, the gear stuck the key in the ignition and turned the vehicle on. Dom got into the vehicle and closed the door, remaining silent. Marcus stood quiet, driving out of the base. He caught Dom looking at him as though he had something to say.

"What is it, Dom?" the male asked, his voice calm, yet hiding the anger within him. Dom sighed deeply before looking at his friend. "Marcus, what if we find him too late?" the gear asked. His hands curled into fists. He was shaking with anger, yet his voice was full of worry. Everything was running through his head. '_What if he's dead before we even get there?_' the gear thought, looking at his best friend. Marcus grunted before answering. "We'll make sure we find him. We won't let him end up like the two Carmines. May they rest in peace." the soldier replied.

* * *

><p><em>Back on the COG base in New Jacinto, just after Marcus and Dom left...<em>

A King Raven had appeared in the distance. '_This is KR Seven-Nine. Requesting permission to land, there are two passengers. Corporal Damon Baird, and Private Augustus Cole._' the pilot said over the com. In his office, Colonel Victor Hoffman spoke into the com. "KR Seven-Nine, this is New Jacinto COG base. You're clear to land." the man said. He removed his hat and scratched his bald head.

Hoffman was filing out paper work when Sergeant Bernadette Mataki entered his office. "Vic. I got some news for you. It's about that kid you assigned to Delta, Rexxar Musica. It seems he successfully ran away from the base. Nobody knows how he's done it, but it's caused one hell of an uproar with everyone. It also seems as though Marcus and Dom already left to find him." she said, watching the man contemplate what she had said.

Hoffman stood up slowly. "Are you shitting me Bernie? Some kid escaped this base, possibly having been kidnapped as soon as he set foot outside of the perimeter, with access to the basic COG ways, and all we send is Fenix and Santiago?" the man yelled. Bernie looked at Hoffman quietly. "Marcus made it clear he only needs Dom with him, Vic. If anyone can get the kid safely back here, it's those two. Besides, you already know he's not just some kid. According to his file, his family was mostly engineers, and that kid has a gift with tinkering with shit. If you ask me, he may give Blondie a run for his money. Which reminds me, wasn't he an engineer already?" the Sergeant asked.

The Colonel closed his eyes. He had Rex's file on his desk already, reviewing it. "Yeah, Bernie. Even before he left school, he was hired as an Engineer. He was so damn good at it, he was drafted into the army to help our piece of shit crew repair everything that went wrong. He had a knack for disobeying the rules when it came to his hair. Right now, it's probably past his face. But that's beside the point. I put him in Delta because of his past. Something bad must have happened if he had to run away from everyone." the male finished, rubbing his head due to a headache.

Bernie smirked when Victor told her about the mysterious Rex. "Don't worry too much about, Vic. I'll alert Blondie and Cole about it." she said. "I'll make sure not to mention the little engineering fact." the sergeant added on. Victor nodded his head. He was getting to old for this shit.

Bernie left the office and headed to the King Ravens. As she got to the exit of the main building, Baird and Cole walked in. "... and I'm telling _you_ Cole, nothing happened with that crazy bitch!" Baird shouted.

Damon Baird was a sarcastic fucker, to put it nicely. He had cropped blond hair, and he had blue eyes. He always wore goggles on his head, and seldom took them off. When he did take them off, it was to sleep, or shower. That was it. The man hated anything that had to do with people, except for Cole, Bernie, and some others. He didn't like anybody, and nobody liked him, so it all evened out.

Augustus Cole was a former Thrashball player. He was built, almost as if he had overdosed on steroids. The man's strength was truly something to fear. The guy could most likely pull a Centaur out of the mud barehanded. He was never able to be quiet because he was practically a noise incarnate. Anything that needed to be done quietly was not a job for him.

Baird noticed Cole laughing at him and flipped him the bird. Cole roared with laughter again. The black gear raised his hand at Baird. "Whatever you say Damon, baby. We all know she denied yo ass. She saw the_ Train_and wanted a real man, not some sarcastic white boy!" he replied, wiping a tear from his face.

"Oh _haha_." came the sarcastic gear's reply. Baird slugged Cole in the arm. "Fuck you, asshole. From what I recall, even the _Cole Train_couldn't pick up a chick. So don't act all high and mighty, Gus." Baird said, finally seeing Bernie walking towards them. She had that look on her face, as though everything turned to shit before they got back.

"Hey Granny, what's wrong?" Baird asked, stopping in his tracks. Cole however, was hugging her. He was careful not to squish her. "Hey Boomer lady, how ya been?" the black gear asked. He set her down and waited for her to reply.

Bernie looked at both Cole and Baird. "Hey Blondie, Cole. I've got something to tell you both." she said. Cole and Baird looked at each other, and then back at Bernie. "What is it?" they asked in unison. Bernie cleared her throat, and began. "Marcus and Dom ain't here right now. The private that was assigned to your squad has run off, leaving this place in an uproar. Right now, those two are looking for him, and they're bloody pissed. You two, as of now, are to keep a look out for him. You'll notice him when you see him."

Cole and Baird scowled at the news. "So the fucking brat decided to run away, because his life was too hard here? Let his ass rot out there, Granny." Baird said through gritted teeth. Bernie walked up to Baird and punched him in the jaw. "Dammit Blondie, can't you shut your mouth for once? He left because of something that happened to him in his childhood. His psyche reports showed he had repressed memories and it caused him to stay away from everything and everyone. He's at risk out there, and those two morons went to save him before something bad happened!" the Sergeant yelled.

Cole held Baird back. "So Boomer lady, you're sayin' this kid didn't have any other choice but to run away, and you expect us to just sit here and let Marcus get him? Marcus ain't exactly known for his kindness." the black gear replied. Bernie smiled at Cole, crossing her arms seriously. "I'm not _saying_ you need to sit here and twiddle your thumbs like idiots. I'm _saying_you should do whatever it takes to assist Marcus and Dom. That kid isn't going to let them grab him. They'll need you. Cole. You are probably the only one that we know of that can persuade him to come back. What you two do is up to you." she replied. Cole gave her a thumbs up, and looked down to Baird. "Come on, Damon baby. Let's go help out Marcus and Dom." the black gear said, smiling at the struggling gear.

Baird sucked his teeth at Cole. "What the _fuck_ do I look like to you, Cole? A goddamn _babysitter_? Let those two get him themselves, I don't even like them in the first place." the white gear said. Cole grinned, because he knew that was a lie. "Baird, stop lyin' to yourself, baby. You know as well as I do that you like those two." the black gear droned on. Baird needed to shut his friend up, so he finally gave in. "_Fine_ Cole, I'll go and rescue the fucking kid." he mumbled.

* * *

><p>Marcus and Dom were keeping their eyes out for Rex. They were driving around in the fucking snow for him. "Dom, you can't say I hate the damn kid since I'm out here looking for him." the gear said, his tone serious. Dom looked at his friend and sighed. "Marcus, I didn't say you hated the kid. I'm just saying you're too hard on him. You heard Hoffman when he described the kid's psyche evaluations. He's repressing his memories, which in turn makes him distant." the gear said.<p>

Just then, Marcus stopped the Centaur and looked at a trail of crimson in the snow. "Dom... come on." the gear said, turning the Centaur off and taking the keys with him. Dom got out of the Centaur and moved to the trail of crimson. It looked as thought whatever had crawled in the direction of the blood trail was extremely wounded. "Marcus if it's him... I don't think he made it. We have to get his tags." Dom said, sadness in his voice. Marcus narrowed his eyes and looked at the trail. "Don't speak like that Dom. The kid has to be alive. Even if he's on the brink of death, it's up to us to save him." the man said, his icy blue eyes staring at Dom now.

Dom nodded slowly. He had to have hope. Even though he barely knew the kid, he still had to care about him. It was one of the things he knew as a father. Every kid who was repressing their memories needed to know someone cared. For Rex, and even though he didn't know it, that person was Dom. Marcus and Dom gripped their Lancers and moved forward. The headed deeper into the woods, snow piling up on their boots.

They stumbled open something bulky on the ground. It looked like a chest plate. A _COG _chest plate. Dom looked at the chest plate, and felt sick. He picked it up and looked at it carefully. "Marcus... It's his chest plate." the man said, showing Marcus the spot that had Rex's last name on it. Marcus scowled when he saw it. "REX!" the man yelled out.

Silence. "Rex, _goddammit,_ answer me!" the man yelled again. Dom went to his friend and put an arm on his shoulder. "It's no use Marcus... he's-" the gear's voice trailed off. Dom thought he heard something. It was faint, but he heard it. "Marcus, _listen_!" the man whispered.

Marcus strained his ears to focus in on whatever Dom could hear. "_Ugh... he... help_!" came a faint voice. Marcus and Dom roadie ran to the source of the noise. "Holy _shit_!" the gears said in unison. There, tied up to the tree and naked to the waist, covered in wounds, was Rex.

Dom felt a surge of anger at the sight. '_Who the hell would do this to a kid_?' the man thought to himself. Marcus moved closer to the tree, getting a closer look at the nineteen year old. "Rex, can you hear me?" he asked. Rex barely nodded in response. "Who did this to you, kid?" the Sergeant asked. He examined the kid's wounds, and they were serious. If he wasn't treated soon, he would die from blood loss. That is, if the cold didn't get him first.

Rex looked up at the two gears. He must have looked pathetic in their eyes. His hair had blood in it, and it covered both of his eyes, only leaving his mouth and nose uncovered. His body was covered in deep gashes and cuts, blood pouring from them. He heard his commanding officer ask who did this to him, to which he barely choked out. "Drones... Sorry sir. I couldn't fight them off." the kid tried to explain. However he ended up passing out.

Dom knelt down next to Rex. "Rex, wake up buddy, don't fall asleep! Whatever you do, hang on soldier!" he yelled. "Marcus, we need to get him out of here, stat! He's not doing so good at all!" he yelled to his friend. Marcus scowled once again. "Dom, those fucking_ grubs_ did this. He said so. You need to get him out of here, _now_!" he replied.

Marcus cut the chains binding Rex with his Lancer. Dom took off his chest plate and shirt. He put his shirt on Rex. Thankfully due to the kid's size, the kid's chest plate covered his more... _sensitive areas_. Dom put on his chest plate and picked the kid up. Around them, voices could be heard.

**"HUMANS!"** one set of eyes said, glaring at Dom. "_Oh no_... Marcus, we can't fight them all off like this. Not with Rex in critical condition." Dom said. He was getting the same tone he had when he found Maria. Scowling, the man of action aimed his lancer and shot at the eyes.

* * *

><p>Baird and Cole found themselves being escorted from the base by one of Hoffman's men. They were driving for at least an hour before seeing a Centaur parked in the road. There was a trail of dried blood, and Baird saw it first. "Stop right here! I can see blood!" the blond said, jumping out of the jeep. Cole followed after his friend, running in the direction of the blood. However, they soon heard a gunshot in the distance.<p>

"Shit!" Cole yelled loudly. Damon and Cole ran and followed the trail of crimson into the forest. They could hear a firefight going on in the distance. Following the sounds, they saw Dom and Marcus. Dom was holding someone on his back, trying to kill what appeared to be Locust Drones while trying to keep the person alive. Cole and Baird drew their Lancers and shot the Drones behind Dom. "Gus, go get Dom and Marcus! I'll flank 'em!" the blond shouted over the roar of Hammerburst rounds.

Cole gave Baird a thumbs up. "You got it, Baird baby." the black gear said, rushing in. Cole used his Thrashball strategy to break through the Drones, killing some of them in the progress. "Hey, Marcus and Dom! Who's that?" he asked, pointing his large finger at Rex.

Dom looked at the black gear. "No time to explain, he needs a hospital, Cole. We need to rush him back to the base stat, or he's going to die!" the gear replied, keeping the soldier on his back. He had the kid's hands around his neck, and had to force the kid's legs to close around his waist. He was much lighter than he looked.

Cole seemed to understand the situation. "All right baby, the_ Cole Train_will give you a chance to escape!" the gear said, watching the Drones close in. Baird had opened fire from the cover of the trees. He got in a head shot with the Lancer, and a Drone's head was knocked clean off. The other Drones split up, three on Cole, three on Baird.

Cole switched to his Gnasher, and ran in at the grubs. He shot two of them from point blank, their bodies splitting into pieces. The last one, Cole bashed his head in with the side of the weapon. Baird took the easy approach. As the Drones closed in on him, he threw a Frag. "Frag out!" he yelled as Dom and Marcus ran through the trees. The grenade exploded, taking the three grubs with it. Cole and Baird ran after Dom and Marcus.

They ran back to the main path, straight to the Jeep and Centaur. Marcus was helping Dom put Rex in the Centaur, while Cole was in the Jeep. "Cole, I'm going to go with Marcus. That kid is in bad shape, and I'm the only one out of those two that can keep the kid from dying at the moment. Rush to base, and get the medics to stand by." he said, running to the Centaur. Baird jumped into the back seat and kept an eye on Rex.

"Bernie told me _everything_. Nice job making him _run away_ Marcus. You know, if he dies, I would have had some respect for you. At least you could say that you lost him in a battle." the blond sneered. Dom glared at the sarcastic gear. "_Goddammit_, Baird. Now's not the fucking time for your shit! If that kid dies, I'll kick your ass, just because. So you better make sure he makes it to base!" the gear said, rubbing his cold arms.

Baird crossed his arms, then noticed Dom's bare arms. He looked at Rex, who was wearing a shirt too big for him. "Don't tell me this kid is _naked_." Baird scoffed. He noticed the glares from Dom and Marcus. "Right, yeah. Make sure he lives. Well I need to see his wounds to see how serious it is." Baird said, in all seriousness. Baird removed the kid's chest plate, and pulled up the blood soaked shirt. He noticed all the gashes in his body and cringed. The kid was getting paler by the second, and there was also the cold to worry about. "Marcus, you need to step on it, this kid is losing too much blood. He won't make it in time at this speed. Come on, you drove faster than this to Mount Kadar, so I don't see why we can't go fast now." the Corporal said. Marcus put all his weight on the pedal. "Hold on to the kid, Baird. It's gonna be a bumpy ride." the Sergeant yelled. Baird reluctantly grabbed the kid, putting pressure on the most severe wounds.

Cole had reached the base first. He saw Bernie rush to him. "Hey Cole, where's Blondie? Wait, what's wrong?" she asked, looking at the gears face. Cole explained how he had found Dom and Marcus fighting Drones, and how they had a severely wounded kid with them. Bernie held her hand over her mouth before going to the intercom. "Mataki to Medics, we need you at the entrance stat. We have a severely wounded soldier coming in quick." she said, moving to clear the area.

* * *

><p>Marcus had reached the base in fifteen minutes. When they got Rex out of the Centaur, someone placed him on a gurney and wheeled him away. Dom ran after the nurse. "I'm going to watch over him, Marcus." the gear said. Baird looked at Marcus curiously. "Since when did Dom take a liking to a<em> kid<em>?" he asked. Marcus scoffed at the blond. "What? Are you _jealous_, Baird?" the gear asked.

Baird scowled at Marcus. "Hey, fuck you too, Fenix. I just saved that kid's life and for what? Why should I care about him" the blond yelled. Marcus put a hand over Baird's mouth. "Shut the fuck up. You should_ care_ because if he didn't make it, Dom would have made your life a living hell." the gear said simply. Marcus knew Dom was only filling a hole left by his kids. Sure, it would never be the same, but if Dom could help Rex, and it made him happy, Marcus wouldn't stop him.

* * *

><p>Dom stood in the waiting room. The medics wouldn't let him watch the surgery, so all he could do was hope Rex made it out okay. He didn't notice Cole sit next to him, which was shocking because he always made his presence known. "Dom. I need to ask you a question. Why do you care so much for a kid you <em>barely<em>know?" the gear asked, raising his brow.

Dom looked at the man before replying. "I don't understand it myself, Cole. I just can't let a kid as young as him break away from people. He'll end up like _Baird_ and we don't need another one." the gear said, laughing slightly. When Cole gave him a look of concern, Dom sighed. "It's because of what Hoffman told us about his psyche evaluation. He's repressing some memories, and he's drifting away from people. I feel that he just needs to know someone cares. Call it _Father's intuition_." Dom explained.

Cole nodded at Dom's explanation. "Why didn't you say so, Dom?" the larger man asked. "Just be glad we got there when we did. Boomer lady sent us as soon as we got here. Said you two might need us to help with the rookie. She was right. But why was he stripped like that? Grubs don't just do that Dom." Cole mumbled.

Dom shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Cole. But you should have seen him when we found him. He was barely hanging on as it was. He was ready to just lie down and die... It was like he was okay with throwing his life away. The way he passed out, Cole, it was like he knew he wouldn't make it." the gear sighed. Cole could tell that Dom was sensitive ever since his wife's death. The bigger gear put his arm around Dom. "It's okay Dom, baby. Let it out. You here takin' care of this kid, man. You gave him the shirt off your back, even though he was bleeding like no tomorrow! He's part of Delta, ain't he? He's part of our family now. He needs us to watch him, and we need him to watch us. It all works out in the end." the gear said. He really had a way of cheering up everyone.

Dom smiled for the first time that day. Cole left the gear alone after that. Dom ended up staying until 0200 the next day. A nurse came to him, and told him that Rex was resting, and that he made it out alive so far. He would still need to be hospitalized, and that the team should refrain from going on missions until the soldier was all healed.

Dom sighed deeply. He was truly relieved.

Rex would make it to fight another day.****  
><strong>**

* * *

><p>TBC..<p>

_A/N: This chapter was difficult to write. It took me forever to just think how Dom would react, and how Fenix would react. Tell me how I did so far please? ;D Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave reviews._


	5. Ch 4: Recovery

"**Rite of Passage**"

by _HonestlyCynical_

Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.

Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3

Warning(s): Slight M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.  
><strong><strong><br>_A/N: Well, this story seems to be doing good so far. I've been battling writer's block for a while now, so there may be a delay in the chapters. Sorry guys!_  
><strong>**  
><em>Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental.<em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 4: Recovery<em>

Everyone heard about what happened Rex the next day. The kid had lost too much blood, so in order to give him a chance at survival, all the soldiers that had his blood type gave some blood. Even still, Rex didn't show any signs of waking up. The atmosphere around the base was gloomy. However, Dom seemed easily angered as of late. Even Marcus gave his friend personal space. He knew better than to mess with the guy when he was angered.

Baird could be heard talking to Mataki. "I told you I didn't know, Granny. All I saw when I got there was Dom and Marcus risking their lives for the kid. Sure, the grubs were surprising, but I think they're the last ones. After all, they didn't call for any backup when we were killing them. What was even more surprising though, was that they stripped the kid of his gear. I've seen what they normally did. _Normally_they would torture their victims by whipping them, and leaving them to wonder when they were going to die. But I have not seen them strip a soldier of his gear. Taking weapons is one thing, taking a man's armor is entirely different." the blond mused.

Bernadette listened to her Blondie speak. "I see. Blondie, I know you were taken by the grubs before. After all, you told me about it. But if what you said is true, then I'll need to speak to Dom. The problem is, he's been so damn _touchy_lately, I can't even speak to him." the female soldier said. Baird gave her a look when she mentioned Dom's name.

"Him? Yeah, he's been in a bad mood ever since he saved the kid. Don't now why though. From what we know, he's only known the kid for two days, counting today." the blond said, crossing his arms. Bernie looked at the sarcastic man from the corner of her eyes. "Sounds like someone's_ jealous_." the Sergeant replied. Baird scoffed at her, thinking of what to say. "Uh, no. You're the second person to say that. Why the_ fuck_is everyone saying I'm jealous?" he asked, getting aggravated.

Mataki snickered at Baird's expense. He loved to get under people's skin, yet when someone did it to him, he would act like a little girl. "Listen Blondie, we got work to do. Get to it." the female gear replied. Baird grumbled something, then turned his back to Mataki. "If you're looking for Dom, he should be at the kid's side. He's been going there non-stop today." the corporal mentioned.

Mataki nodded at Baird's statement. "Got it. Blondie, you're needed at the garage though. Seems the Centaur Marcus used needs a tune up." she stated, remembering a message she had to pass on. Damon cursed under his breath. "All right Granny, I'm on my way."

* * *

><p>Harper and Snow were talking to each other in the Mess Hall. "I don't know, Snow. All I know is that we had to give blood because Rexxy boy needed it. According the the medic, he had lost too much blood for his body to replace on its own. Then, that Dom guy wouldn't leave his side at all. Apparently he stood up all night just watching our friend. Rumor has it that Rexxy and Dom <em>did it<em>, and that's why he won't leave Rex's side." the male whispered.

Snow was looking at Harper as if he were a moron. "Okay, Harper. Just because someone besides us _cares_for Rex, it doesn't mean Rex has slept with him. If anything, Dom was just looking out for a teammate. Nothing more." she replied curtly. Harper rolled his eyes at his friend. "Trust me Snow, I know what I'm talking about. You weren't there in the showers yesterday. I was, and I saw what happened. There's no mistaking what I saw." he said nervously.

Snow crossed her arms and glared at Harper. "You're a real moron, you know that? Dom broke up a fight between Marcus and Rex. It's a good thing he did, because Marcus would most likely have beaten him to a pulp. If Dom were to have had sex with Rex or Marcus, we would most likely notice the tension between either of the three. Not to mention that Dom had a wife, dip shit. No man that had a wife would have sex with _another man_." the female replied in a sarcastic tone.

Harper once again rolled his eyes. "They would if the man's wife had _died_. So shut up, because you can't say that Dom, Rex, or Marcus _didn't_ do it by now. Why else would he run away from the base? He had no reason to until those two got to him." he replied, looking the female in the eyes. Snow knew she couldn't argue with that. Rex _didn't_have any reason to run away before meeting Dom and Marcus. At that moment, Dom and Marcus had entered. Dom looked completely worn out, and Marcus was supporting him, his friend's arm around his neck. Dom glanced at Harper, as if he knew that they were talking about him.

Harper swallowed nervously. He turned his head, urging Snow to do the same. "Snow, don't look. He _knows_." the male said nervously. Snow shook her head in disgust. "Come on, Harper. I'm a girl, and I have more _balls_than you." she replied. She gave her friend a stern look. The next thing she knew, Dom was being helped into the space next to her by Marcus. "Dom, I'll get you some food." the man said, his voice dangerously low. Dom nodded in response to his friend. "Okay Marcus. I'm not going anywhere." the man said, his voice quiet.

Snow looked at Dom, and saw he was sad. However, she also knew that he now angered quickly, due to the incident. She waited until Marcus had gone before speaking to Dom. "Are you the one that found Rex?" she asked the bigger man, watching him turn his head towards her. Dom nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I am. Not to be rude, but who are you, and why do you ask?" he asked in return.

Snow looked the man in the eyes. He seemed sad, and his eyes revealed he was. Snow stuck out her hand. "I'm Brandice. Everyone just calls me Snow. I'm one of Rex's best friends. So is Harper here." she said, pointing at her companion. He was trying to act like he wasn't paying attention. "We've known Rex since we were children. I just wanted to thank you for saving his life." she told the man. Dom looked at the female and shook her hand. "My name is Dominic, but everyone just calls me Dom. Also, don't mention it. It was only natural for me to rescue the kid. But I have to admit that Marcus, Baird, and Cole helped." the gear replied to the female.

She looked at his shirt, and noticed it was all bloody. It was dry of course, but it looked as though it hadn't been washed yet. No doubt that it didn't, seeing as how Laundry was to be done at the end of the week. Snow was curious, so she had to ask. "How come you're wearing a bloody shirt, and why is it so bloody in the first place?" she asked, catching the man off guard.

Dom thought of a way to answer the question without raising any suspicion. "I didn't have time to go change because I've been watching Rex since we got him back here. It's bloody because I had to give it to Rex to keep him from freezing to death." the gear replied. He looked at Snow, trying to see if she believed him. It was the truth after all. The man didn't have time to change because Marcus brought him to get food, and he did have to give his shirt to Rex or else the kid would have frozen to death before bleeding out. He decided not to tell her how they found Rex stripped and tied chained to a tree. If he did, it would only worry his friends, and he didn't need anyone else worrying.

Snow looked into the man's eyes once more. "All right. I think it's a nice thing you did, Dom. Not everyone would risk their life to save a kid they _barely_know." she replied. Dom was caught by surprise. What she said was true. Dom didn't know the kid, and yet he did rescue him. But he already explained to Cole why he did, so he nodded in response. Marcus walked over, and handed Dom his rations. "Eat up, Dom. From here you have to shower and change." the bigger gear said, sitting next to his friend.

Marcus looked at Snow and Harper. He didn't say anything to them, and began eating. Dom began to eat, yawning after consuming some of his eggs. When both men finished, Dom got up, putting his plate in the cart where all the dishes went. Marcus finished his food and put his plate away. Dom waved good bye to Snow. "See you around." he said, leaving the Mess Hall.

* * *

><p>At 1300 hours, Harper and Snow went to the Medical ward. "We're here to see Rex." Harper said, looking at the receptionist. The female looked at her chart, then back at Harper and Snow. "Don't expect a chat. Rex is still in a coma, and he's heavily stitched. If you can handle how he looks now, then by all means, go."<p>

Snow and Harper nodded before walking to Rex's room. Apparently, he was in such bad shape, that he had to be in his own room. When Snow and Harper grew closer to the room, they could hear the beeping of machines. Stepping into the room, they saw their friend sleeping. He was covered in stitches. The longest cut being on his chest. There was a chair by his bed that looked as thought it had been sat on recently. The two gears began to talk to their friend, as if he could really hear them. "Rexxy boy," began Harper. "You need to hurry up and get better, man. Your dumb ass ran away, and almost got yourself killed. Why the_ fuck_did you decide to abandon this place? You're lucky your squad rescued you when they did you dumb fuck." the male said, his hands clenched into fists.

Snow couldn't look at the pitiful state her friend was in. "Harper, we need to go. When he wakes up, we'll yell at him then. Until then, let's just make sure he's fine." she said, turning away from Rex. Harper nodded when Snow left the room. He followed after her, closing the door behind him.

Damon Baird walked to Rex's room after using the restroom. He sat on the chair next to the bed. "How did Dom ever talk me into this?" he mumbled to himself. He noticed how Rex's room was warmer than the rest of the area. Baird assumed it was because Rex was too stitched up to use blankets, so in order to make him comfortable, they just turned the heat on in his room.

The blond gear looked at the soldier's face. He had stitches under his eye, and above the eyebrow. Baird examined the kid's body. He had stitches that seemed to zigzag downwards. Damon didn't even dare to see anything below the kid's belly button. All the gashes and cuts that the grubs had given him were deep, and there was a lot of them. The nineteen year old's hair covered his face. Baird got a strange feeling in his gut just watching the kid. Something compelled him to hate the kid, but another part actually wanted to _like_him. The blond shook the thought out of his head.

He still didn't know why the grubs stripped the kid of his armor, and tied him to a tree naked. Perhaps he wasn't their target after all. Maybe he was just a victim of unfortunate timing. Either way, Baird couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. Rex, who was in a coma, started to twitch. The motion caught Baird off guard. He noticed the kid was trapped in a nightmare, and he was making too much noise. "Dammit, kid. Shut the fuck up!" he hissed. However, the kid's face grew red, and his mouth shot open. Baird was fed up with the noise. "_Goddammit_." the male said, closing the blinds to the room.

Baird stood up and moved over to Rex. "You leave me no choice." the blond mumbled to the kid. Baird put his mouth over Rex's. He put his hand on the side of the kid's face and closed his eyes. '_God, this kid better not remember this when he gets out of the coma._' the gear thought. Almost immediately, the comatose Rex attempted to close his mouth. Something in Baird didn't want it to end yet, so he kept the kid's mouth open. Baird explored the soldier's mouth, tasting everything that he could. He wasn't making it gentle either, the part of him that _enjoyed_ this was asserting its dominance. He could taste some of Rex's blood. '_Dom didn't do a good job at removing the blood from his mouth._' the blond thought.

Which was true. Dom only bathed the nineteen year old for the nurses. That was the only way they would let him see Rex. After a few second of kissing, Baird pulled away. Rex had stopped moving, and seemed to appear content. For all Baird knew, the kid was dreaming of a girl. Baird walked over to the sink, and for the second time in his life, spit up blood that wasn't his. "What is it with other people's blood finding its way into my fucking mouth?" he mumbled, scrubbing his tongue with the hot water.

Baird sighed before shutting off the sink and walking back to the chair. '_Well, it's to be expected when you kiss an injured man_.' the gear thought to himself.

* * *

><p>Cole was patrolling the area like usual. He hadn't told anyone about Rex, because he promised Dom he would keep the truth from the others. The black gear was trying to cheer everyone up. The mood had been so depressing since Rex caused a scene. Even the enthusiastic gear didn't feel as happy as he usually did.<p>

If anything, this event proved that the COG was more than what they were made out to be. When one of their soldiers were out of commission, eventually the entire machine wouldn't work correctly. With Rex in his condition, the gloom spread like a wild fire. "Fucking grubs." was the statement everyone would say.

The day seemed to go by slowly. Dom was rarely seen, except for the times Marcus would force him to eat. Baird informed Dom that he would no longer watch Rex for him, although he never specified why. Cole was always busy with his own thing, so that left Dom to ask Marcus.

"Marcus, go check on the kid for me." the gear said, not looking away from what he was doing. Marcus looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "Dom, You checked an hour ago. He wasn't up then, he won't be up now. It's not guaranteed that he _will_wake up either. Even if he does, he's going to be put through psyche evaluations just to see if the whole shit traumatized him. So again, if he does wake up, you'll barely see him around until the evaluation is done. You'll also have to deal with him most likely never talking again because of this." the male replied, looking back down to what he was reading.

Marcus hated talking to Dom like that, but the overly sensitive attitude he had, was taking its toll on the man. Dom stood silent for a long time after that. When someone spoke to him, he would nod at them, then carry on as if everything was okay. Dom called it quits early that night. Normally he would head to bed before Marcus, and then the two would talk for an hour or so. Not that night though. That night, Marcus walked into his room and expected Dom to greet him. The soldier was laying on his stomach, fast asleep.

The Sergeant sighed. He hated himself for going off on Dom like that, and was going to apologize, but it seemed like it would have to wait until morning. Marcus undressed in the dark, setting his armor in a corner. He took off his boots, and set them at the end of his bed, throwing his socks and undershirt into the clothes basket. The gear decided to leave his pants on, and climbed into his bed. Before he forgot, he removed his bandanna, setting it under his pillow. The gear yawned and closed his eyes, finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Marcus woke up to find that Dom had already left. '<em>So much for apologizing to him.<em>' the man thought to himself, stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles. Marcus suited up, slipping on a clean undershirt, clean pants, and clean socks. He put his boots on, and adjusted his chest plate. It was then that a noise at his door caught his attention.

"No, _goddammit_. I'm not doing it again. I told you before, it was a one time deal, so just stop asking already." came Baird's voice. Marcus opened the door, only to see Dom and Baird glaring at each other. "You're so full of _shit_, Baird. When will you get your goddamn head out of your _ass_, and quit the tough guy act? It gets real old, real fast." Dom replied, anger in his voice.

Marcus looked at the two soldiers closely. They were about to rip each others throats out. "What the_ fuck_do you ladies think you're doing? Cut your shit, or I'll need to deal with this myself." came the man's cold voice. Baird and Dom turned to face Marcus. "How much did you hear?" they asked in unison.

Marcus glared at Baird, then at his friend. "Enough to know that you're both on the verge of killing each other. Now cut the shit out, or I'll make sure you two get _friendly_with each other." the man replied, his tone telling them that he was serious.

Baird glared at Marcus and Dom. "_Fuck this_, I'm needed in the garage anyway. _Someone's_ gotta work on the vehicles." the soldier growled, walking away from the two men. Marcus rubbed his forehead. "Dom, I'm sorry for yesterday." the gear said, his voice calm. "However, I don't know why you're so angry, but you have to cool it. I can't have you attacking Baird just because of something he did, or didn't, do." the man said, turning to walk down the hall.

Dom reached out and grabbed Marcus' hand. Marcus stopped in his tracks, and turned to face Dom. He saw that Dom wasn't looking at him, but at the floor. Without saying a word, Dom dragged the Sergeant into the room, and closed the door behind them. "I'm not angry..." the Corporal finally said. Dom looked at Marcus, his brown eyes peering into the bright blue eyes of his friend.

Marcus knew where this was heading even before it happened. Dom inched closer to his face, just enough to give Marcus time to react. The man was frozen in place by the events. His body refused to move, yet his mind was against what was going on. Dom moved in and pressed his lips to Marcus' own.

After around three seconds, Dom pulled away, panting for air. Realizing what he had done, Dom was starting to head out the door. "Sorry Marcus. I didn't mean to..." the gear started. However, he had been cut off, when a hand pulled him back. "I really wish you hadn't done that." Marcus said, bringing his face closer to Dom's. Within seconds, Dom found himself pinned to the door, with Marcus' mouth over his own.

Dom closed his eyes, his hand closing on the other man's free hand. Marcus' kiss wasn't gentle, nor was it brutal. It was more than that. Dom could tell Marcus had _wanted_to do this for some time, how long he did not know. Marcus licked his friend's lips, to which Dom opened them. The other man slid his tongue deep into Dom's mouth. When Marcus pulled away for air, Dom spoke up, "Marcus, what..?" the gear tried to ask. Marcus put a finger over Dom's lips. "Shut up, Dom. I can tell you wanted this, and it wasn't because you kissed me first." the man replied, stepping away from Dom.

He glanced down, and saw that his friend was unaware of how much blood had migrated south. Marcus grinned and looked up at Dom. "Dom, you might want to take care of your little_ problem_." the man said, brushing a spec of dust off of his own chest plate.

Dom glanced down, and saw what Marcus was talking about. "Oh... _shit_." he mumbled as the man laughed at his expense. "Shut up, Marcus." was all he could say. The man hurriedly went away from his friend. "Just go away, Marcus." he said, hearing the door close behind the sergeant. Dom unbuckled his belt, and began stripping down. '_Damn you, Marcus. How can you just leave me like this?'_ the gear thought, addressing the _ problem_ he had.

* * *

><p><em>AN: At first, I was against doing this type of thing this early in the story. However, my friends (that I have read this beforehand and critique), insisted that I address this issue earlier. Don't get me wrong, there will be more in the future. But that depends on you guys. As always, leave your comments, feedback, and other things, and I thank you for reading this story!~ Until next time!_


	6. Ch 5: Awakening

**"Rite of Passage"**

_by HonestlyCynical_

Pairings: Baird/OC, Marcus/Dom, Other pairings may apply.

Set: Post Gears of War 2, up to Gears of War 3

Warning(s): M/M YAOI, LEMONS, SPOILERS, Blood, horror, Oral, Maledom, D/s, Character Death, and other warnings apply.

_**A/N: I know the last chapter set you guys up for some action but my friends decided it would be better to keep you all waiting for it. Without further ado, Chapter 5!**_

_Disclaimer(s):I do not own Gears of War. This is fanfiction. Simply put, the only thing I own is the ideas I place here. I do not preside over the existing characters that are implied in this story, nor the GoW elements and it's franchise. Any detail, titles, names that may be similar to that of other fiction or fanfiction, (unless cited) is strictly coincidental._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 5: Awakening<em>

Weeks had passed with little to no action. An occasional bar fight would break out, but it didn't last long before the fighters ended up puking. Dom was in better spirits, and only he and Marcus knew why. He would still check in on Rex, but only once a day. Marcus kept the man busy with some problem he would make up on the spot.

Baird and Cole were always kept busy. Baird had to work on everything that broke, while Cole was in charge of making sure everyone was doing their job. It was easy for Cole to make sure his job was done. He would always talk about how if someone neglected their job, then they'd run the risk of ending up like Rex. However, every time he would bring up Rex, his mood would switch from happy, to sad. Even though it happened for about a minute or two, everyone noticed that it was a sore spot for the black gear.

Harper and Snow were always off seeing Rex, or sitting in the mess hall screwing around. Harper would always bring up gossip at random moments in time. "Yeah, I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but I've got some _gossip_ for you." the man would say. Snow rolled her eyes at her friend. "Well, it beats sulking around, so let's hear it." she would always reply. She had to admit, the gossip that Harper had made her cheer up when she was down.

Harper set his hands on his lap. "All right. You remember the fight last week? The one that Connor started? Well, get this. I had heard from Sean, that he had seen Connor _messing around_ with Chris." he said. Snow looked at Harper, a hand on the table. "Who the_ fuck_ is Chris?" she asked calmly. She knew who Sean and Connor were because they had always gotten into trouble, and would be scolded in front of everyone.

Harper rolled his eyes at the female. "Chris is some guy that works in the medical ward. I've only seen him once." the male replied, keeping his eyes on Snow. The female gear nodded slowly. "I see. So they're _messing around_, and how is it that people_ know_ this?" she asked her friend, the base gossip.

The male smirked at the question. "I have ways of _finding out_ these things. Mostly though, I caught them_ kissing_ behind the garage." he said, taking a bite of his lunch. Snow sipped her soda, looking at Harper. "I see. Well good for them. They better hope their secret doesn't spread. It'd cause Hoffman to lose his already short temper." the female replied.

Snow and Harper then changed the subject. "So, how've you been holding up?" the male asked her. Snow raised a brow and looked at him again. "Holding up with...?" she asked, clearly confused. Harper hit his head on the table. "How're you doing about Rex. I know you've been wanting to avoid the subject, but they might just end up pulling the plug on him." he informed her. "I heard the medic talking about it." the male said when he saw Snow's expression go into confusion.

The female sighed, she really didn't want to talk about this. "Well... I still say it's too early to pull the plug, you know? The three of us are nineteen, we haven't even seen Locust activity until the incident, and even still, it's quiet again. It's a long shot, but if this war is indeed over, then he has a lot to look forward to when he wakes up." the female explained. She considered Rex a brother, as well as Harper. They had grown up together, and were the only ties they had to their former lives. She didn't want to think how she would feel if her friend was just left to die.

* * *

><p>At 19:30, Dom and Marcus were in the bar. Baird and Cole were there, although they had went their separate ways. Dom took a sip from his beer, and looked at Marcus. Ever since that night, Marcus was trying to avoid him. That, or just not talk about it. That didn't stop the gear from bringing it up when they were in their room.<p>

"Marcus, I'm gonna go, man. I'm not feeling so good." the man said, drinking the rest of his beer. Marcus grunted in response, nodding his head at his friend. "All right, Dom. I'll see you later." he replied, drinking his beer. Dom sighed and walked away. He wished that that night had never happened. '_All it did was make things weird between us_.' the man thought to himself.

On the way to his room, Dom ran into Anya. The female had her blond hair curled for once. Her green eyes looked into his brown eyes. "Anya, is that you?" he asked, not sure if it was. The female looked at Dom and nodded. "_Of course it is, Dom_. Who _else_ would I be?" she asked curiously. Dom shrugged in reply to her question. "I don't know. I'm not used to you curling your hair, is all. If you're looking for Marcus, he's back at the bar. I decided to head in early, not feeling well." the gear explained.

Anya pat Dom on his bicep. "Thank you, Dom. Oh and feel better, okay? I'll see you later." she said, rushing off to see Marcus. Dom watched her disappear from view. '_There she goes, off to the one person she loved_.' the man thought, turning around to walk. Dom found his room, and walked in. He undressed and slipped into bed. When his head hit the pillow, his eyes snapped shut, and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Back at the bar, Anya found Marcus sitting with Baird and Cole. Baird noticed her, and nudged the two gears. "Look sharp, Anya's heading over here. Cole, let's go and give the<em> lovers<em> some _privacy_." the blond man said, getting up from his seat. "_Shut the fuck up_, Baird." Marcus said, sipping his second beer. Cole got up, and went with Baird. "See ya, Marcus." the black gear said, already navigating himself across the room.

Marcus set his glass on the table when Anya sat down. "Hello, Marcus." the female said, ordering a beer. Marcus took another sip of his beer. "Hey, Anya." he replied, setting his drink once again on the table. Anya looked at the man. He looked expressionless as always, but something seemed to be wrong with him. "I saw Dom on my way here." she said, trying to spark a conversation.

"Did you?" Marcus asked, turning his head to look at Anya. He noticed she had her hair curled. It was a new look for her. Anya nodded at the gear. "Yeah, he said he doesn't feel well. Poor guy, worrying about the rook, right?" she asked, taking a sip of her beer. "Yeah, but he's been visiting once a day now. Not once every two hours like before." Marcus said, staring into her green eyes.

Anya nodded silently when Marcus spoke to her. "Hopefully the kid will wake up soon. If not, they're going to pull the plug on him, Marcus." the female informed him. It was the first time Marcus had heard of that. "What do you mean, they're going to _pull the plug_?" Marcus asked, raising a brow curiously. Anya looked surprised at Fenix.

"You mean they _never told you_? Marcus, it's been three weeks since Rex was attacked. He shows no signs of waking up, and we can't waste anymore supplies on him. Unfortunately, he has by the end of the week to wake up, or they'll take him off of life support." the female explained. She had been to the meeting about it, and she was shocked to learn of it. However, it was a sacrifice they needed to make.

"_Goddammit_! They can't do that to the kid, Anya. If they do, it's going to_ piss a lot of people off_." he said, thinking back to the kids he had seen talking to Dom. Anya sighed and took a sip of her beer. "I know Marcus, I know. Hoffman argued in the kid's defense, but Prescott was hell bent on not wasting any resources. Even I tried to stop it, but they refused to listen." she explained.

If Marcus was in a bad mood before, this bit of information would have done the trick. "Perfect. _Just fucking great_, Anya. I risked the life of myself and Dom for that kid, only for those fucks to try and kill him themselves." he growled, downing his beer in one gulp. Anya looked at Marcus, concern in her eyes. "Marcus... I'm sorry." she said, looking at the table.

Marcus shook his head. "It isn't your fault, Anya. You tried to stop them, that's all that matters. Just don't tell Dom." he said, thinking about what would happen to Dom. The man had cared for Rex all this time, and now they wanted to _kill him_. That wouldn't sit right with the Corporal.

Marcus stood up and dusted himself off. "Anya, it was nice to see you again. But right now, I need to make sure Dom is okay." he said, watching the female finish her beer and look at him. Anya nodded at the Sergeant. She knew Dom was like a brother to him, and she also knew he was a pushover when it came to anything Dom related. "All right, Marcus. It was great seeing you." she said, taking the man's large hand in hers. "See you soon." she said, dropping his hand and walking out of the bar.

Baird and Cole headed to Marcus when Anya left. "What was dat all about, Marcus?" Cole asked, crossing his arms curiously. Marcus shook his head at the big man. "Cole... It's about the rook. If he doesn't wake up by the end of the week, then they're pulling the plug." the Sergeant said, getting a headache from all the noise.

Baird and Cole looked at each other. "They _can't do that_ though! I mean, we risked our asses to save the kid. How the fuck can they even think about ending his life?" Baird said, shaking his head in disbelief. Cole scowled, and cracked his knuckles. "Yo, this is some fucked up shit, right here. They can't really do this, can they?" he asked, trying to look for something to throw.

Baird pat his friend on the back, thinking rationally. "Unfortunately, _if_ it was _Prescott_ that ordered it, they can. If that's that case, we have no choice but to roll with it, that asshole. But besides that, who's going to tell Dom this shit?" the blond asked, and boy did he hate asking it. Marcus turned to Baird instantly. "I'll tell him. Dom is going to freak out when he hears this, and I'll deal with that problem myself." the Sergeant replied, turning to walk out of the bar.

Baird and Cole both glanced at each other then. "_Shit_, Damon. This is _real bad_. What if the kid ain't wake up in time? If that happens, Dom's never gonna live it down." Cole said, looking at his friend. Baird was fixing his goggles. So much had run through his mind. He had kissed Rex in the hospital room. He didn't like to think about it, but the more he pushed it out of his mind, the more it came back. He remembered the taste of the kid's mouth all too clearly.

Cole saw that his friend was zoning out. It wasn't like Baird to just space out, so the bigger man pat his shoulder. "Yo Baird, _you all right_, man? It ain't like you to just lose focus like that." the gear said, looking into his friend's eyes. "You thinkin' about the kid, ain't ya?" he asked, a grin spreading on his face. Baird grew beet red at his friend's comment. "Fuck you, Cole. I'm just thinking about the Centaur I've got to fix. Damn thing refuses to work, and whoever worked on it before I did, fucked it up." the blond said, scratching his cropped hair.

Cole sensed something was wrong, but decided not to say anything. He may have acted like a child, but he caught on quick to a lot of things. He could always tell when there was something being held back with his friends. "We might as well go, Baird. Suddenly, I ain't feelin' the mood to drink." the gear said, sighing heavily.

Baird frowned at Cole. "_Shit_ Cole, this is getting to you? _You_, of all people? You're one of the _happiest motherfuckers_ alive." the blond said, shaking his head. Damon Baird never grew close to anyone if he could help it. He knew these were times in which you could live one day, and die the next. Due to that, the blond genius closed himself off from making friends, and dealing with all the useless feelings.

Baird came across as a sarcastic man because of it. The only person he would admit to being his friend was Cole. He would never admit that he grew to like Dom and Marcus as friends. He would _definitely not_ admit when he grew to _like_ someone at first sight, as was what had happened with the comatose Rex. There he was, thinking about the kid again. '_Goddammit, why can't he stay out of my fucking head?_' the genius asked himself in his head. Baird once again, sent the thought to the back of his head. "Let's go, Cole. I'm _tired_ of being here." the blond said to the bigger man.

Cole nodded silently and began to walk out of the bar. "Come on Damon, baby. We gotta get some shut eye for tonight." the gear said, dragging the short blond with him. Baird tried to pull away from Cole, but with the man's four time MVP strength, Baird couldn't exactly fight it. Not to mention all his drinks seemed to take effect and he was drunk. The room started to spin, and Baird fell against Cole. "_Fuck_, man. Why's everything _spinning_?" the blond asked his friend. Cole laughed at the blond genius. "Baird, you're drunk, baby. I'll carry you to the room." the male said, moving over to his friend. "Fuck you, Cole. _I can walk on my own_." the blond said, struggling to walk in a straight line.

Cole giggled at Baird's poor excuse for walking. "_Oh yeah, baby_. You can walk _perfectly fine_." the black gear said, supporting Baird by putting the man's arms over his neck. Cole grabbed the back of Baird's utility belt. "_Heehee_ Baird, it looks like I'm grabbin' yo white ass like this." the black gear said.

Even drunk, Baird scowled. "Shut the _fuck up_, Cole. Cut the gay shit, okay?" the blond growled. Cole shook his head lightly at Damon. "_Damn_ Baird, you need to learn how to take a_ joke_, baby. You good at crackin' them, but you get so bitchy about us making jokes about you." Cole replied. He navigated around the base, heading towards their shared room. Once in, Baird was helped into his bed by Cole. The two stripped down into their boxers. Cole walked to his bed after setting their armor against the wall. Cole set his head on his pillow. "Night, Damon." the gear said, yawning rather loudly. Baird settled into bed, lying on his stomach. "Night, Gus." he replied drunkenly.

* * *

><p>Marcus walked into his room slowly. Dom was sitting on his bed quietly. He noticed Marcus come into the room. "Hey Marcus." he said, yawning slightly. Marcus grunted and began to undress. He knew that he had been trying to avoid Dom ever since that day. However, he needed to tell Dom what Anya had told him. "Dom, we need to talk." the man said, removing his bandanna last.<p>

Dom looked over at Marcus, the moonlight bouncing off his various scars. "_Listen_ Marcus, I_ can't apologize enough_ for what I did that day. I'm sorry, okay? It was wrong for me to do it, so it won't happen again." the gear said. However, Marcus shook his head, and Dom quited down. "It's _not about that_, Dom. It's about the rook, Rex. I just heard something that you need to hear." came the Sergeant's low voice. He looked at Dom, and could see he was listening. "Prescott gave him by the end of the week to wake up from his coma, or they'll pull the plug." the man said, obviously feeling guilty about saying it.

"What the_ fuck_?" the Corporal yelled. "_Goddammit_!" he yelled, obviously pissed off. "We save his ass, only for them to threaten to kill him if he doesn't wake up? What kind of fucking _government_ is this?" he asked Marcus. The Sergeant listened to Dom yell. He got up and went to Dom. "Dom... _Calm down_. Hopefully the kid will wake up soon." he said, placing a big hand on the Corporal's shoulder.

Marcus could feel his friend shaking with anger. "Dom, _calm down_. He still has three days before that happens. Just go to bed, and don't worry about the kid." the Sergeant replied, patting the angry man's bicep before moving off to his bed. Marcus stared at the ceiling silently. Dom was cursing under his breath, and he could hear little snippets. "_Who does that asshole think he is_?" seemed to be Dom's favorite phrase so far. Eventually, the Corporal must have fallen asleep because snoring replaced whatever he was going to say. Marcus sighed silently and closed his eyes. The Sergeant yawned, drifting into a deep sleep.

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><p>Three days had passed since Delta heard about what they planned to do to Rex. Baird was even more irate than normal. Cole carried on as the cheerful soldier he was. Everyone knew Cole by now to know he was just trying to cheer everyone else up. Dom was trying his best to not get angry. He knew how he could get when he was pissed off, and he didn't want to take out his anger on anyone else. As for Marcus, he had made sure everyone else remained as close to normal as they could. He didn't care much for Baird though. Baird had always been a bitch at the most random of times, so Marcus just let him be.<p>

Snow and Harper were gloomy for the three days. Harper still had the latest gossip for Snow, who told him she hated gossiping. "But it takes our mind off of things." the man would reply each time. Snow knew better than to argue with Harper. After all, she was his only means of entertainment now. "Okay, fine. Harper, go on with your gossip." she would say. That was when the male would tell her about how so-and-so would look at him strange in the showers.

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><p>Dom waited for the others in the mess hall. He wasn't particularly hungry, but Marcus had gotten him food, and even got Baird and Cole to sit with him. There was an awkward silence between the four men. "Guys... <em>I get it<em>. He's being taken off of life support today. Stop treating me like a fucking _kid_, and speak." the Corporal said, rubbing his head and cursing. Cole looked at Dom with sad eyes. "Dom baby, ain't nobody treatin' you like a kid. It's just that we know how much this means to you an' all." the gear replied. Baird looked from Dom to Cole, then to Marcus. He didn't feel like maintaining eye contact, so he looked at the table. "Guys," the blond said, causing Dom and Cole to stop bickering. "I _assume_ you want to be there when they... _you know_... do _that_. If that's the case, you might want to head out early. I doubt Prescott cares about waiting till night to do it anyway." he mumbled. Corporal Baird looked at the confused looks he was getting. "I _know_ what you're_ thinking_. The answer is _no_. I _don't_ have _any interest_ for the kid, I'm only letting you guys know since you_ love_ him so much." the genius replied sarcastically. In his mind, he knew this to be false. He _did_ have an interest in the kid, not that he would even show any hint of it. Every time he would think about the rookie in the hospital, he would remember what he felt when he kissed him to shut him up.

Cole shrugged at Baird. He knew something was off with him, but didn't press the matter. Even the Cole Train knew when to back off. "All right then. We should get goin' after we finish eatin'." the gear said, taking a bite of his bacon. Marcus and Dom had practically finished their plates, and Baird had only eaten his bacon, and eggs. "Cole, take the sausage. I can't eat any more." the blond said, watching the black gear help himself. Cole ate the sausage in one bite, trying to hurry up.

When they all had finished, the four men got up and found Harper and Snow. "Snow, Harper, let's go. We're going to see Rex." Dom said, tapping the two on their heads. The two gears nodded silently and got up. "All right, I guess this is the final time we get to see him." Harper said, a wave of sadness suddenly washing over him. Snow held her friend's hand comfortingly. "Harper, it's fine to cry. We were close to him, closer than anyone. He was our brother, and we're off to see him one last time. Don't let him go with regrets." she said wisely. Snow had a way of sounding much older than she was. Dom smiled at the way Snow spoke to her friend. "She's right, you know. It's perfectly fine to cry when someone you love is taken from you." he mumbled, walking ahead.

Harper knew that Dom had lost his wife, and he had no doubt cried when he had to kill her. "Let's go. I _refuse_ to cry like a _bitch_ right now. I'll save the water works for later." the male said, obviously choking back tears. With a heavy silence between all six gears, they made their way to the medical ward. After walking for what seemed like forever, the gears stopped at Rex's room. What they had seen caused Marcus and Dom to growl in anger. Standing there, was Chairman Prescott and two Onyx Guard. "It is with a heavy sadness, that I inform you six that Rexxar's time is up. The week is over, and he is still not awake. I'm afraid I have no other choice but to pull him off life support." the Chairman said, watching as the Onyx Guards were moving to the machine.

Snow and Harper pushed through Dom and Marcus. "No!" they shouted, running toward Rex's bed, putting themselves between the machine and the Onyx Guards. "It can't end like this, _goddammit_!" the female shouted. Her hands clenched into fists, the female got into a fighting position. "You're_ not_ taking away one of my brothers, you son of a bitch! He's all that's left, along with Harper, of my old life, and I'll be _damned_ if you fucking fascist bastards treat him like some injured animal!" she screamed.

The Onyx Guard went to hit Snow, but she had been to fast for them. She saw what was coming, and gripped the arm of the guard and used his weight against him. Within a few seconds, she had thrown the grown male to a wall. Harper snarled when the second guard went after her. He pulled out his Boltok pistol, and bashed it against the man's helmet. "Eat shit and die, _motherfucker_!" he said, watching the man crumple to the ground. He quickly got on top of the Onyx Guard, gripping his right hand and pulling on it. Harper grit his teeth as he increased the pressure. Delta squad moved in at that point, grabbing Snow and Harper. "Enough Snow, Harper. You've done enough. You don't need to be an enemy of the COG, so just stop now." Dom said silently.

A movement caught the Corporal's eye, and he looked at the Comatose Rex. He was lying still, but Dom could tell he had definitely seen something move.

'_Son of a bitch, he moved_!' the gear thought to himself. He wasn't entirely sure it was the kid's own reaction, but Rex had moved slightly.

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**_A/N: These chapters take me a long time to write, unfortunately. So there may be a brief period of time where there might not be chapters. Forgive me when they happen, but I'd rather give you all the best that I can. Feel free to review and such~_**


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